Cheap Ammo cans - why not 5 gallon buckets?

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I've always hated spending money on ammo cans. So years ago I started buying Georgia Arms ammo at the gun show - 500 rounds and a FREE ammo can. I know, I know, but it works for me.

Now I need shelving.

John
 
There's no denying ammo cans rock. Everybody can always use another ammo can. If I was smart I'd get some more (I only have a few or so). I use all kinds of stuff.. milk crates, re-purposed foodstuff containers, cigar boxes, big steel boxes, tupperware, Sterlite boxes, baggies, pie tins and probably a shoe.. heck, I used a sock to transport my range ammo to the range for a while there. I keep different brass in five gallon buckets though.
 
Now if you want a good laugh. I was in my local Goodwill store today. They had a standard 50 Cal ammo can available at the ridiculously low price of $17.99. I wonder how long it will be there.
 
I saved several coffee cans and wooden cigar boxes in Afghanistan and shipped them home in my gear. I felt silly doing it, but I store brass and ammo in them so it works out.
 
In addition to the frosting buckets from bake shops, if you have a deli around you ask if you can have the leftover pickle buckets or containers from premade chicken salads and whatnot. They're decent sized and have good handles on them.
 
Are we talking about storing loose reloaded ammo, or purchased ammo in boxes?

I rarely have enough reloaded ammo of one type to make it worthwhile to use surplus ammo boxes. I just store mine in freezer bags (100 rounds/bag) and put a bunch of those into plastic parts bins or small 4 quart tubs. The way I reload, I may have 200 rounds of SWC, 500 of FMJ, etc.

While I can see storing loose reloaded ammo that way, I haven't understood the need/desire to store purchased ammo in cases like that. Can someone educate me?
 
I store my reloaded ammo in discarded ammo boxes scrounged at the range. These go into ammo cans.

I store factory ammo in ammo cans.

I store cast bullets in food containers.

I store brass in styrofoam coolers that my wife brings home free from the Animal Hospital she works at.

I use to store my ammo in 5 gallon buckets, but it was too cumbersome.
 
Nothing like trying to scoot the 150 pound bucket of 9mm out of the way to get to the 60 pounds of 45

Oh and the buckets aren't full
and the little wire handle....

Yeah, I'll use a better purpose built container
I mean, they are not bad to toss rounds in when you are cranking em out, but a little bucket is more my size, a pail gets full about the time it starts getting really heavy.
Course I take that as a clue to go watch TV and fill ammo boxes.
 
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Myself, I buy the generic white ammo boxes with the styrofoam inserts from Midway. There's like, 6 sizes or so, and each size will work for several different types of cartridges. I then make labels on my PC to put on the boxes that tell me the caliber, bullet, powder, all the load data. And then I store those boxes in USGI ammo cans with a label on the can the same as what's on the ammo boxes. So I can look at the ammo cans on my shelves and find what I want right away.

See post #38, and you can see the labels on a lot of those cans. Tells me what's in 'em and what the load is right away.
 
While I can see storing loose reloaded ammo that way, I haven't understood the need/desire to store purchased ammo in cases like that. Can someone educate me?
Click to expand...
lousy humidity control in rented housing, for one.
Organization is easier when the boxes are labeled and stacked neatly.

Ammo cans are probably overkill for my factory ammo storage needs, but what's the cheap solution? I've been reading this thread as it goes along to look for cheap storage ideas, moving (across town) my ammo in cans last week was brutal and I'd like to find something better.
 
Large ziplock bags inside of cardboard boxes work. So do plastics storage containers. Its not complicated.
 
Hand carts are great, until you're on the 3rd floor and the turns in the stairway don't let your handcart through. All the damn ammo came up in small batches and I was appalled at how much there was to get out all in one afternoon.

I ended up lowering the cans off the balcony on a strap, using an old sea-bag as a sling - the Mrs* de-bagged the cans at the bottom and stacked them up. It worked surprisingly well, I ran some of the lighter cans first to figure out the method and then I was able to load/lower them pretty much nonstop until I ran out of ammo cans.
I nearly have enough cans to make a throne out of, seeing them all stacked up on the sidewalk made that obvious in a way you just don't see when they're in a closet.

*(which meant I had to download some cans for ease of lifting, making 2 milk-crate loads of non-canned ammo or so)
 
The 20mm ammo cans are almost too heavy when full of 22lr and shotgun ammo is almost as bad. 50cal cans are just rite and my local surplus store is still pretty reasonable.
 
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